MESA Book Awards
Jessica M. Marglin
University of Southern California
2023 Albert Hourani Book Award Co-Winner
Jessica M. Marglin
The Shamama Case: Contesting Citizenship Across the Modern Mediterranean
Princeton University Press
Jessica Marglin’s The Shamama Case is an outstanding microhistory. Grounding itself in a single case, it spins out an entire world, threading the needle through materials in Arabic, Hebrew, French, and Italian. And like the best microhistories, it takes on large questions; on trial are questions of belonging in a time of changing ideas of citizenship and nationality. Its sharp analysis and archival depth are only outmatched by its beautiful prose. It is a page-turner in every sense of the term: it teems with characters, plot twists, and tensions. It is truly a masterclass in the craft of writing history.